The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-02-19

the Minnie Moore mine, furnishe!
the Wood River correspondent O
the Portland Oregonian with tn.
following description of the new
mining district of Alton in idaho
county: The district is twenty-five
miles southeast of Warrens, nearly
on the summit of the range o.
mountains that divides the middle
and south forks of Salmon river
and was discovered in 1884:
Over 100 claims were located
that year. The main ledge was
formerly called the Blaine, but
after the election was changed and
called the Cleveland, is situated on
Logan mountain. The formation
of the country is micacious gran
ite and porphyry, resembling the
mines of Granite mountain, in Mon
tana. The lodges of this new dis
trict also resembles the above cele-
brated mines, though some of the
ore is much like the one of the ia
nous Poorman of Owyhee district.
The lodes all run parallel with each
other in a northwesterly and south
westerly direction same as all other
veins in this northwestern country,
and stand nearly perpendicular,
but dipping to the west. The prin-
cipal locations SO far, and upon
which the most development work
has been done, are the Cleveland
and Anchor mines. The ledge
crops out a distance of eleven hum
dred feet on the surface, and is
about sixty feet wide. A great
part of the fissure is red iron cap
rock containing several streaks or
veins of mineral-bearing quartz
from 6 to 30 inches wide. Cuts
have been made on the ledge to a
depth of 30 feet, and these little
veins of ore are widening as depth
and it would not have to
be very deep before they would all
come together and form one solid
ledge.
From sixteen assays made from
the groupings, the ore goes from s.
TO $l5 per ton in gold, and from
10 to 5000 ounces in silver per ton.
The ore is mostly black sulphur
ITS of silver and chlorides, and is
rec milling, being entirely free
rom base metals. A ton of this
IRE was extracted and shipped to
Omaha for working. and yielded |
967 ounces of silver and little
gold. Some idea of the difficulty |
his district labors under may be
ormed when we state that to get |
his ton of ore to the railroad it
cost $50. 1t is estimated that the
IRE will average by mill process $40
,old and $50 ounces silver, making
'l6O per ton. Owing to the steep
the ledge can be tapped
~ tunnel on either side, striking
at depth Of from 200 to 500
eet, thus doing away with costly
Jumps and hosting works for
many years. Besides this great
dvantage, wood and water are
here in large quantities, in fact
7ater can easily be brought and
sed for power, either for extrac-
ion or reduction, right on the ledge.
Almost the entire stock of these
laims are owned by parties on
Wood river, and the only reason
he property is idle is because of
o roads. The nearest wagon road
; at Little Salmon Meadows, six
y miles from Warrens and about
lghty-tive miles from this ledge.
is estimated that a good wagon
Dad can be built from the Mead
ws to Warrens for $1,000 or $4,000,
nd from Warrens to Alton district
Or $4,000 or $4,000 more. A
God pack trail is all that connects
MS whole country with the outside
Torld, yet there are a few five
lamp quartz mills running in the
icinity of Warrens, engaged in
rushing gold rock from numerous
mall but rich lodges in that Sec
on. Although the snow would
Ill pretty deep, yet there is no
anger of disastrous snow slides,
nd by laying in plenty of sup
lies work could be prosecuted all
inter, and with such large ledge,
nd such high grade ore, the out
ut would be enormous when once
tirly opened up.